As Yoon trial wraps up, conservatives test waters of presidential race
With an early election in 2025 possible, conservative heavyweights who have kept a low profile since President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from office are returning to the public eye.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, the four-time People Power Party lawmaker who had launched bids in the past three presidential elections, said regardless of the outcome of Yoon's impeachment trial, the ruling party "must look to the future" and "bring stability and progress."
During a press conference Sunday, Ahn said the "most important task" facing South Korea was to restore "sanity to our politics."
"We stand at crucial crossroads for South Korea's future," he said, stressing change and departure from the status quo.
While the three-time presidential contender, who has stood as a candidate for liberal and conservative parties, did not explicitly mention a change in the country's leadership, his remarks were taken by some as hinting at a fourth presidential bid.
Yoon is due to make his final arguments in his impeachment trial before the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. The president was put on trial after he was suspended from office by the Assembly majority vote impeaching him over his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
Another major conservative figure, Han Dong-hoon, made strides as a possible presidential contender this week after disappearing from public view since stepping down as the People Power Party's chair the day the Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on Dec. 14, 2024.
Han's new book, "People Come First," recounts the first few weeks following Yoon's botched martial law declaration from the former People Power Party leader's point of view. Han has announced a tour around the country to promote his book, slated to be published Wednesday, in a move that many have understood as a sign of his return to politics.
Up until now, conservatives have avoided admitting the possibility of a presidential early election, as the party's president Yoon has not been formally removed from office. The Constitutional Court is expected to give its verdict on Yoon's removal next month, until which point the People Power Party would likely continue to remain lowkey about election preparations.
People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, who has positioned himself as a loyalist of the suspended president, called on his conservative colleagues to hold their presidential intentions, particularly the party's former chairman Han Dong-hoon.
"This is not the time for Han (Dong-hoon) to be stepping up," the five-time lawmaker told reporters Sunday. "The Constitutional Court has not decided on the president's impeachment yet, and he needs to keep that in mind."
The Democratic Party of Korea is swinging into a full election mode, with Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the party's chair, even attempting to rebrand his party as "moderate conservative" in an apparent bid to court a wider range of voters. Some within the party predict that the Constitutional Court's verdict would fall around March 11.
Rep. Kim Min-seok, who leads the Democratic Party's top-decision making body, the supreme council, backed Lee in a press conference Sunday, saying his party was a "party for conservatives."
"The Democratic Party is a moderate conservative party. The People Power Party, on the other hand, is the party of far-right," Kim said.
Kim said Lee leading in the polls for the next president reflected the people's "will for change." But when asked by The Korea Herald about the Democratic Party's favorability ratings falling behind the rival People Power Party in recent polls, Kim argued for a different interpretation.
"Favorability polls for political parties often sway, and they don't necessarily translate to election results," Kim said.
Also on Sunday, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the People Power Party's floor leader, said in a jab at Lee that the Democratic Party leader's legal troubles would continue even if he succeeds in clinching the presidency.
Lee, so far the liberals' hard favorite to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, is facing five criminal trials the results of which could revoke him of his ability to run for public office.
Lee argued on a TV show earlier this week that his criminal trials would be put on hold if he is elected president.
But Kweon said his claim was debatable. "The Democratic Party leader's criminal trials may well still go on," the People Power Party floor leader said.
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